"I fear no man!"

September 22, 2014
Oh what a beautiful morning! This week was so much fun!

Elder and Sister Cardon came and did a mission tour this weekend and it was phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. Here are the highlights:

Opening song: The Spirit of God. President Clayton is a fantastic singer and he always tells us to sing it like we mean it, or sing out, or something to that effect. When about 100 Elders and Sisters were singing, "We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of Heaven" it was a pretty powerful moment.
Elder Cardon talked about some of the details of the leadership of the church and it was incredible to hear Him talk about how mission calls are issued, how the first presidency is reorganized after a prophet passes away, seniority and how that works, and many other things pertaining to the organization and the administration of the church. The church is true. There is no other possible explanation. It has been made manifest to me logically and spiritually. It is true my friends.
He then proceeded to give an incredible discourse on the scattering and gathering of Israel then led into the coming forth of the Book of Mormon being a sign of the commencement of the gathering. It is happening and it is hastening. It's wonderful to be on board!
We also talked a lot about the Spirit and how to recognize the Spirit and how to help our investigators gain a witness through the Spirit.
President Clayton talked about fearing no man, and during his remarks he paused, pointed at me and asked if I would stand and say in my best man voice, "I fear no man!" I felt my face go red and watched my comfort zone leave, but I stood and put my fist up, with my elbow square and declared, "I fear no man!" And the most amazing part about it was feeling the Spirit confirm to me that it was true. I am not afraid to talk with people like I used to be. I am not afraid to be a missionary. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It was a magnificent revelation and reflection of my growth. President Clayton then asked several other missionaries to stand and declare the same words and it was powerful! I love being a missionary!!!
Sister Cardon shared this scripture and talked about how it applies to us as companions: "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.
Elder Cardon closed with Alma 26:16-22. Last time I read the Book of Mormon through I dubbed this my mission chapter, because it has so much meaning to me.

16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
17 Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?
18 Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church.
19 Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?
20 Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls.
21 And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweththese things, save it be the penitent.
22 Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall begiven to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance. Alma 26:16-22




Other highlights from the week:


I had sushi TWICE! I am one lucky sister. I love sushi. One of those times was on an exchange with two sisters from Hong Kong... I, with my blonde hair and fair skin, probably looked really out of place :)
I went on another exchange with a sister I came out with and we had a BLAST! We met an incredible couple that day that we talked with for about an hour. By the end of our conversation, the wife said, "I believe Joseph Smith could be a Prophet." Music to my ears! We're going to see them again this week.
MIRACLE: "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven." Last night the Brantford ward was holding a fireside. We are only to go to firesides if we have investigators there. We had a few people that told us they would be there for sure and a few others that gave us maybes. A woman flew in from St. George, UT to give this fireside called, "Voices from the Past Leading the Way" and these voices she was referring to are the voices from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the First Nations people (the Native Americans). Sounds amazing eh?! We were so excited for these people to come, and nobody came... So we left. We proceeded with our backup plan and were led to two of the most incredible people I've ever met on my mission. Jeff and Robyn. We talked for probably about 20 minutes and they listened and asked questions and seemed intrigued in our unique message. I felt that the Spirit was guiding my words and I know He was directing Sister Hawryluk's too. I love that feeling! Before we went on our way, they offered to say a prayer with us! Usually we are the ones to initiate that. They are amazing. As we drove to our next appointment, the Hallelujah chorus by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir came on and we turned it up and sang along! It was definitely fitting.
Have a wonderful week. The Church is true. The gospel is restored. I know it. I live it. I love it.
Love and Prayers, Sister Felix


"Let us not give up. Let us be true to our covenants. Let us never lose sight of our Advocate and Redeemer as we walk toward Him, one imperfect step after another." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf


Five of my companions were at the conference on Saturday!
This is Sister Kubo and I! She's from Kenya, Africa.

Last Zone Conference

Sept. 15, 2014

Zone Conference was incredible! It was President and Sister Clayton's first and my last, and it was wonderful. They showed President Uchtdorf's talk from the latest Mission President's Seminar (the one they showed in MLC that I LOVED) so it was great to see it again. They also handed out a copy of the talk so we can study it! Oh happy day! At the beginning of Zone Conference there is always a talk on our purpose and then we say our purpose together:


"Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end."


As one of the talks was being given, a question came to me, "How do I come unto Christ?" And it's something I've thought about and studied a lot, but I received new light on the subject in that moment. I come closer to Christ when I take upon His name (which I covenanted to do when I was baptized) by taking upon His attributes. One of the most prominent being to TURN OUTWARD. That is the character of Christ. That has been a focus for me lately to turn outward and I'm not perfect at it yet, but the seed has been planted and it's growing as I nourish it by turning outward. Some other insights from Zone Conference:

Christ is the CORE of my calling. As I dedicate my work and will to Him, He will magnify my efforts.
Faith and Love-neither can coexist with fear. Faith and love are both part of the character of Christ, they are both focused outward. Fear is focused inward and the constant pressure of that inward focus causes us to shrink.
"We do not serve our Savior well if we fear men more than God...We are called to establish the Lord's standards, not to follow the world's." -Dallin H. Oaks
For the last part of Zone Conference, President Clayton did a Q&A session and it was incredible! One of the questions was how he balanced all he did in his life, and his response was, "I married well." He talked about how he married a lovely woman and how they were a team. He encouraged all of us sisters to be lovely and to be a participant in the Kingdom of Heaven. I loved that! So a lovely participant is what I will strive to become!
We had a conversation last week with a woman about prophets and she was very adamant in her belief that we don't need a prophet and that after Christ there hasn't been a need for prophets. We bore our testimonies to her, but still she wasn't willing to find out for herself. It's a conversation I've had with many people. Many people have the same belief as this woman. With General Conference coming up, Sister Hawryluk and I have made invitations and we're inviting all to come listen to a prophet's voice! So I've been studying a lot this week about prophets and the priesthood authority. It's one of my favorite things to study! We also taught Racquel and Paul this week about the organization of the Priesthood, so these two topics have been on my mind. As I have studied and pondered my testimony has been fortified and strengthened on the subject. I know there is a prophet of God on the earth and I know it is President Monson. I know that "the teachings of living prophets provide an anchor of eternal truth in a world of shifting values and help us avoid misery and sorrow." (PMG 75) I know that we can receive personal revelation for our own lives through the scriptures and the Holy Ghost, but truths necessary for our salvation will be reveled through prophets and apostles. I am eternally grateful that I live in the dispensation of the fullness of times when there is a living prophet and the keys of the priesthood on the earth. What a joy and what a blessing!


The rest of this transfer is going to fly. We have Elder Craig A. Cardon from the seventy coming for a mission tour on Saturday, then the next Saturday is the temple trip!! and the general women's broadcast, and the next weekend is General Conference! It's a wonderful life... So wonderful. I felt so strongly this week a sense of peace and a sweet assurance from the blessings of living the gospel. I think it's comforting that we can experience the blessings of the gospel in the worst of times and in the best of times. Because the blessings of the gospel are dependent upon and determined by our agency. I know God lives and Christ is our Savior. They love us and want us to come home. May we live our lives in a way that will let virtue garnish our thoughts so that we will not only long to be with our Father, but so we will also feel at home in His presence. Have a wonderful week!


Love and Prayers, Sister Felix
"To become children of light means to reject the power of the adversary and to choose daily to follow the Light of Christ...Children of Light do not sit passively in darkness they have the courage to stand up and stand out." -Elder Craig C. Christensen


After Zone Conference, a sister from the Philippines made us adobo!! So good!
And the second one is the four Brantford sisters!

"See yourself as God sees you"

Oh happy day! Sept. 8, 2014


Canada is so beautiful this time of year! It has been a cool summer because the great lakes froze over during this past winter, (coldest it's been in YEARS) so the breeze coming off the lakes has been nice instead of scorching! I can't believe it's almost fall. I'm looking forward to taking pictures of the gorgeous trees out here in the east!


On Wednesday we had Zone Training. It was one of the best Zone Training I've been to! Elder Tan (from Singapore) and Elder Healey (from Utah) are our zone leaders and they're so hilarious together! It's going to be a good transfer for sure! They talked about Alma 31 and talked about how our zone can become more like "Alma's Zone" when they were going forth to teach the apostate Zoramites. It was a great conversation. Then we set goals and made plans together for the month and the whole zone, of 12 companionships, was all excited to just get out and work!


We met with Paul and Racquel that night too. We went through the baptismal interview questions with her and it was such a good lesson!!! One of the best of my mission. During MLC last week in President Uchtdorf's talk, he said, "Overbearance is boldness without love. When you speak with love, you can never be too bold." And I LOVE that. That is exactly how this lesson was. I said some things that I normally wouldn't say because they were so bold! But the Spirit was still so strong because I love those two so much. SO MUCH! And I can't wait for them to partake of the blessings of the gospel!


Guess who I went on exchanges this week?! SISTER DYER! Best day ever. It was incredible to see how we have both progressed since we've been companions. She is serving in London now and training. She's incredible! We had some really good discussions on our exchange. She has always been really good at asking me inspired questions that make me think and ponder. One question she asked me on our exchange was, "How do you view yourself?" I thought about it for a minute and the Spirit brought many things to my remembrance. I remembered giving a talk when I was a youth titled "See yourself as God sees you." I remembered a note that is above my study desk that my mom left on my bed years ago that says, "See yourself as God sees you. Study Diligently. Pray Fervently. Live Righteously." I remembered the young women theme, "We are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us and we love Him." I responded that I probably don't always see myself as my Heavenly Father sees me, but I have never doubted my worth and potential. That has not only been taught to me, but I have learned what that truly means through experiences I've had and the witness of the Spirit speaking to my spirit. Sister Dyer is wonderful. She inspires me to be better through small and simple ways and I love her oh so much! Good exchange.


I went on another exchange this week with a sister from Rome, Italy and it was incredible! She's a convert of about 2 years and she's a hard worker. She started her mission in Churchville YSA and was there for her first 6 months (just like me!!) It was so fun to work with her for a day! I love the fire from new converts. She not only loves the gospel, but she appreciates it. And shows it by the way she lives. The light of Christ RADIATES from her and it was just a fantastic day!


I love being a missionary. So much. I love Sister Hawryluk. So much. I am grateful for all the prayers said in our behalf. I know that this is the church of Jesus Christ because it is built upon His Gospel. I know that He is the head of His church and that he governs it through His priesthood authority. I love my Savior and my God. Have a wonderful week!


Love and Prayers, Sister Felix
"Christlike conduct flows from the deepest wellsprings of the human heart and soul. It is guided by the Holy Spirit of the Lord, which is promised in gospel ordinances. Our greatest hope should be to enjoy the sanctification which comes from this divine guidance; our greatest fear should be to forfeit these blessings." -James E. Faust


"When the winds of adversary come, remember one thing-kites fly the very highest against the wind. Kites don't fly in spite of the opposition, kites fly high because of opposition. In fact they couldn't fly without opposition." -John Bytheway

Sister Hawryluk

Hello Hello!!


What a week! Sister Hawryluk is a party! We have way too much fun together. She is from Calgary, Alberta and she is an INCREDIBLE missionary! It's such an honor to be her companion. We are the exact same age (same month and year.) She loves to run and before her mission she was a professional bubble gum tester! The new sisters in the South are Sister Mencarelli from Rome, Italy and Sister Arnold, a brand new missionary from Kaysville, UT. It's going to be a great transfer!!


This week we had MLC and it was amazing! My favorite part was a talk President Clayton showed of President Uchtdorf's talk at the latest Mission President Seminar. He talked about the Risen Lord and bore a powerful witness of the transforming power of the Atonement and coming unto Christ. It was beautiful and I've pondered a lot about it this week.


We don't have many investigators right now, so we've been doing a lot of finding! And I love finding! We were walking downtown after an appointment fell through, and there was an old Chinese couple approaching. I have tried to talk with a lot of old Chinese people, and usually they don't speak English. That thought tried to deter me, but I talked with them anyway. I said hello and guess what! He speaks perfect English! She doesn't speak any, so I said to her one of the few Mandarin words that I know, Bing Chi Ling, which means ice cream. They thought that was hilarious! That this white, blonde girl said ice cream in their language :) Their son is a Christian minister in Toronto. They were baptized Christian in 2008. They have been to temple square!! (They really wanted to go in the temple, but were disappointed when they found out that only members can enter.) They invited us into their apartment, so we went up just briefly, because we had to be somewhere else soon, and showed them mormon.org in Chinese. They thought it was wonderful and were so excited to watch the video about a girl in Hong Kong! It was so exciting! Sister Hawryluk and I were in the best of spirits as we walked away from that apartment building. It doesn't end there though. There is a Chinese family in our ward and they know this couple!! Small world. We got to meet with the Chinese couple a few days ago and teach them about the Restoration. At the beginning they made it clear that they were baptized Christian and didn't have any intention of converting. But at the end of the lesson, he asked if they would be allowed to be baptized again into this church! Perfect lead into the baptismal invitation! They said they would read from the Book of Mormon and pray about it. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.


Another miracle this week happened when I was on an exchange. We were preparing to give a chapel tour and the member that we brought with us was waiting patiently in the chapel while we turned on lights, opened the baptismal font, etc. The man we were supposed to teach didn't show up. When we went back into the chapel to tell the member, she was crying and handed us a piece of paper. She asked us to pray for her and wrote out her situation... She is going through an incredibly hard time right now! We were able to pray with her, pull a TV in, and show the mormon message called "Mountains to Climb." She needed us so badly that day and it was an incredible thing to be a worthy vessel to bring the peace from Christ into her life.


I am so grateful for my God and my Savior. I am grateful for the Restoration of the Church and Priesthood of Jesus Christ. I am grateful to represent and witness of Him. What a message. What a joy. I hope you have a great week!


Love and Prayers, Sister Felix
This is a line from President's email this week and I thought I'd share:

"When the time comes to do the right thing, we must not consult the consequences before we consult our consciences and our covenants."

SO GOOD!


-I saw so many of my companions at transfers! Sister Zerkle, Dyer and I took a picture at the temple
-I love curry! Reema, an member from India gave us some yellow curry rice.
-Sister Hawryluk is the one on the far end with a greenish shirt and brown hair with straight across bangs. She's adorable eh?